Always The Gentleman
by honeyMellon
Summary: It was so tempting, so goddamn deliciously tempting, and all he had to do was give in. But he knew it was wrong, he would be taking advantage of his best friend, who obviously didn't know what he was doing. He should stop him; that was what a true gentleman would do...


**Just a little something to get my writing mood going...**

**WARNING: Copious amount** **of fluff.**

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><p>Grimmjow knew this would happen. He had always thought Kuchiki Byakuya was a strange match for his best friend, and never understood what Ichigo saw in the man who was his opposite in every possible way.<p>

Where Ichigo wore his heart on his sleeves, Byakuya guarded his within a thick, impenetrable wall.

Where Ichigo was loud, direct, and honest, Byakuya was distant, proud, and cold as stone.

Where Ichigo loved with the passion of a blazing sun, it was nearly impossible to know how Byakuya felt about the boy who offered him his heart. If he even felt anything at all.

So when Ichigo came home one day half-drunk and heartbroken, Grimmjow wasn't surprised. Wasn't surprised at all. But it didn't stop him from feeling a surge of anger at the older man.

"He said I'm still young," Ichigo hiccuped, looking up at Grimmjow with wide eyes filled with hurt and disbelief. "I have plenty of time to start over, he said. He said it's time for him to settle down with someone serious, someone who can give him an heir..."

Grimmjow damn near snarled. "You deserve better than that bastard. Forget him!" He knelt down in front of his friend and gripped the boy's shoulders. His chest ached when Ichigo simply stared blankly at him.

"I didn't see it coming, Grimm," Ichigo whispered hoarsely. "What did I do wrong?"

"You did _nothing_ wrong! _He_ is the one who screwed up, not you!" Grimmjow growled, eyes narrowed into slits. He shook the other boy and said firmly, "It's his loss, he doesn't deserve you."

For a second, Ichigo opened his mouth and looked as though he wanted to argue, and then he deflated, his shoulders sagging. Grimmjow dug deep into his limited reserve of patience and kept quiet to let his friend have his moment of silence. It was hard, seeing Ichigo like this.

When Ichigo finally lifted his head again, he reached out and laid a gentle hand on Grimmjow's cheek. "You always do know the right things to say. No wonder you always get the girls. And boys too, I guess, heh."

That last bit, said in such an envious tone, lanced through Grimmjow's chest like an arrow, and he had to grit his teeth to hold back what he wished he could say. It was never about the others; he flirted with them, maybe took one or two home at some point, but they didn't own his heart.

Not the way _Ichigo_ owned it.

"You know I'm just speaking the truth, Ichi," he gritted out.

Ichigo smiled. A small, sad curve of his lips that pained Grimmjow more than any tears could. "Oh, shut up. C'mere, you big oaf."

Grimmjow smiled back a little as he let Ichigo pull him into a hug. Grimmjow's heart fluttered wildly, the press of his friend's slim form against his sending his pulse through the roof. He had the love of his life _in his arms. _He should be happy, but instead he found himself sighing and thinking, "Here we go again..."

He had lost count of the number of times he came _this close_ to confessing throughout the course of their friendship. It wasn't that Grimmjow didn't have the courage. He had every intention to tell Ichigo, but somehow it just always didn't work out.

Back in high school, Grimmjow had thought that Ichigo was into this girl called Inoue Orihime. She was every straight man's fantasy - beautiful, kind, friendly - and it was obvious she was completely in love with Ichigo. And since Ichigo never rejected her, Grimmjow assumed he felt the same way. So he tucked away his confession, put up a brave front, and continued his role as the best friend.

And then they entered the same college and Grimmjow found out that Ichigo didn't like girls after all. The boy had been terrified when he came out to Grimmjow in their shared dorm room, thinking that Grimmjow would shun him, but what he didn't know was that Grimmjow had secretly danced in joy in the shower afterwards. Not wanting to scare his friend, Grimmjow decided to wait a little before asking him out. But when he finally thought it was safe to do it, he inadvertently walked in on Ichigo making out with his first boyfriend.

Since then, it had been an endless stream of bad timing and missed opportunities. Like that time when Grimmjow finally gave up waiting for Ichigo to be single again. The day after Grimmjow introduced Starrk to his best friend, Ichigo broke up with Renji. To dump Starrk immediately and confess was the last thing that would impress Ichigo, so Grimmjow gritted his teeth and waited. He and Starrk lasted only a month, but by then Ichigo had already hooked up with Ishida Uryuu, the resident head nerd in their year. The day _they_ ended, was the day Grimmjow brought Ilforte home.

And so it went on and on, until one day, Ichigo met Kuchiki Byakuya. The next five years were the worst in Grimmjow's life, having to watch his friend fall hopelessly in love with someone who was so obviously not _right_ for him. So many times, Grimmjow was tempted to shake Ichigo and demand just _what the fuck_ did he see in the heir of Kuchiki Industries. What did that blasted man have that Grimmjow did not? But he never did ask, because he was Ichigo's best friend and best friends don't sabotage each other.

Best friends also don't take advantage of each other, Grimmjow reminded himself as he held Ichigo now. He knew Ichigo had had a lot to drink, so even though he really, really, really wanted to kiss those lips, he held back. He may not have a lot of patience but he had honor. Honor which he had upheld for so many years.

The same bloody honor which had cock-blocked him for as many years, he thought darkly.

"Grimm?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it because I'm not good enough?"

Grimmjow wrenched himself away so fast that he nearly toppled backwards. "What? No!" Seeing that his actions had startled his friend, he quickly calmed down and took Ichigo's hands. "Ichigo, look at me," he said.

The moment their eyes met, Grimmjow's breath caught. The hurt and uncertainty staring back at him just shouldn't belong in those molten brown eyes; he could kill Byakuya for putting them there.

"Now, you listen to _me_, you pigheaded fool," he said fiercely, a bit of his anger at the older man spilling into his words. "Kurosaki Ichigo, you are kind, courageous, confident, and above all else, loyal to a fault. You're the best partner anyone can ask for, and don't you let anyone else tell you otherwise. You hear me?"

His outburst was met with a few heartbeats of silent staring, Ichigo seemingly speechless with shock. Grimmjow didn't know what the big deal was; it wasn't like he was making things up or exaggerating. All of that was true.

"Aww, thanks." Ichigo smiled, finally recovered enough to speak. There was a light pink tinge on his cheeks. "That's really...really touching."

Grimmjow was startled when slim, graceful fingers caressed his cheek, slowly moving down to cup his jaw and then up to touch his brows and finally his nose. He held his breath, not even daring to blink, as another hand joined; this one gently tracing his lips before sliding into his hair and then his neck...

_Uh oh._

"Ichi, what are you-"

"Shhhh."

For the first time, Grimmjow wavered. Ichigo was not himself, obviously distraught from the breakup, and not to mention he _reeked_ of alcohol. Naturally, the honorable thing to do was to stop him, and then make him hot chocolate and maybe watch one of those lame zombie movies before tucking him in for the night. God-knows Grimmjow had done it often enough over the years.

Except, all those time he had never had Ichigo's hands in his hair and -_when did the sneaky little shit pop his buttons?_- on his chest. His heart pounded as the touches became naughtier, slipping lower and dangerously closer to his waistband. It was so tempting, so goddamn deliciously tempting, and all he had to do was give in. But he knew it was wrong, he would be taking advantage of his best friend, who obviously didn't know what he was doing. Grimmjow should stop him; that was what a true gentleman would do...

"Kiss me."

And just like that, the last of Grimmjow's control crumbled all around him. He closed his eyes, pulled Ichigo close, and kissed him; long and sweet and deep like how he'd been wanting to for the past _decade_. They slid slowly to the carpet in a tangle of limbs, soft moans and whispered praises punctuating every kiss and every thrust. It was everything Grimmjow had ever imagined, and when they finally rode the crest of pleasure together, he suddenly realized that, intentionally or not, he had just confessed his love.

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><p>Watching the soft smile on Ichigo's sleeping face ten years later, Grimmjow could not be happier that he had chosen that one day to <em>not<em> be a gentleman.

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><p><strong>The End.<strong>

**I know I know, I made them both total saps. xD**


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